Clashes erupt in Palestinian refugee camp

Violent clashes have erupted in the Palestinian refugee camp Ain al-Hilweh on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese city of Sidon. A roadside bomb also targeted the camp’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) headquarters, although no casualties have been reported. Shooting broke out between a suspected gunman, Abd al-Naser, and a former member of Fatah al-Islam, reportedly following a personal dispute between the two men on Tuesday morning. One person was killed and at least five others wounded when Fatah al-Islam members retaliated in Badr, firing on Fatah members. Khaled Ahmad al-Masri, part of Fatah, was killed in the shootout. Negotiations between Fatah and other Islamist Palestinian factions have aimed to quell the violence, although clashes have reportedly continued throughout the day. Palestinian National Security Forces leader Major General Sobhi Abu Arab meanwhile called on Islamists to halt the fighting and avoid any further casualties. A group calling themselves the Ain al-Hilweh Islamists threatened “anyone who underestimates Sunnis” on a Facebook post reacting to events. The group claimed Hezbollah would join the violence if the escalation continued. “If any Sunni Muslim is hurt, especially in Sidon, we will declare war on everyone and bomb areas where they are located,” the statement said. Fatah’s Major General Mounir Maqdah has distanced his faction from the statement, describing it as “provocative” and “not worthy of a reply.” “All parties in the camp have denied any relation with the fake statement,” he claimed. “There is no organisation by this name in Ain al-Hilweh.”